When football players prepare for game day, they know to be ready for anything. But senior running back Chris Lora never expected his biggest challenge on the day of his final home game to be off the field. As Lora drove to school on Oct. 24, he was involved in a three-car accident.

“I was in utter shock like I didn’t think it was real,” Lora said. “You see all these crashes in movies and on social media and you never know how it feels until you get into one. I didn’t know what to do after it happened, so I just called my mom.”

Though his car was totaled, no one was hurt. Lora took this conflict and used it as motivation in order to have a successful Senior Night at Turner Stadium. Lora understood that the adversity was in the past. He made sure he remembered who he was playing for – his family.

“I just knew that it was only up from there,” Lora said. “I mean, what worse could happen than wrecking your car that your parents worked so hard to get? I just played that game for my grandparents and my mom, because they worked so hard to get me to where I am now.”

This “road bump” didn’t affect his performance. He scored a touchdown in his last home game to help the Panthers to a 41-7 victory over Pasadena.

“It felt great to score,” Lora said. “It’s definitely one of the more special touchdowns I’ve scored this year. It felt great celebrating it with my brothers on the field.”

Even though he scored, the stats Lora put up would be considered subpar compared to his season averages. This was because he had fewer carries due to it being Senior Night, where playing time was spread out to allow all seniors opportunities. This did not disappoint Lora though. He was ecstatic for his fellow running backs to get in the game, especially senior Aaron Rivera who hadn’t played all season.

“Aaron’s one of the most deserving people I know,” Lora said. “He works his butt off day in and day out and he just makes sure everyone’s okay. He definitely deserves it the most. I’m glad I got to see my teammates succeed and play well.”